


Tail Bite

by storywriter8



Series: Because Snow Leopards [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cause I Swear A Lot, Crack, Crack?, Cuddling, Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, I Suck At One Shots, If You Don't Understand PLEASE Google Snow Leopard Tail Bite, M/M, One Shot, Or Bust, Protective Bucky Barnes, Shifters, Short & Sweet, Siamese Tony, Snow Leopard Steve, T for Teens Just In Case, Wolf Bucky, Yeah Its Basically, it is THE BEST THING EVER, please
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-13
Updated: 2018-09-23
Packaged: 2019-07-11 18:01:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15977564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/storywriter8/pseuds/storywriter8
Summary: Its been a long week, and if Steve can get through it without letting the love of his life, returned from the dead, slip away and keep Tony from posting a picture of him with his tail in his mouth that would be great, thanks.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I own nothing of Marvel, only my obsession with it.
> 
> So, this is me, trying to make a one-shot and probs failing cause epics are my default. Keeping myself at two chapters tho so enjoy. Wrote this in like an hour so apologies for the spelling and homophones. 
> 
> My take on shifter-verse is that some people are born shifter, most aren't. Steve wasn't born a shifter but super soldier serum mutated his DNA and he became a shifter. It wasn't an intended effect of the serum and Steve decided to keep quiet about it once he figured out what had happened which is why no one knows.

“Steven Julio Ricardo Montoya De la Rosa Rogers!” Tony shouted, storming his way through the common area of Avengers tower.

Steve didn't even bother to glance up from his book. “None of those are my middle name.” He muttered, turning a page and pushing his reading glasses back up his nose.

“You got some ‘splainin to do!” Tony continued, now standing arms akimbo in front of the super soldier.

Steve finally looked up, arching one eyebrow.

“You’re a shifter? Why have you never mentioned it! Or shifted! I could have been gettin’ some big fur cuddles from, whatever you are, this whole time!” Tony yelled, waving his arms to punctuate his utter disgust with the situation.

Steve blink then went back to his book. “Ask. Clint.” he said, voice as cold as the ice he came out of.

Rounding on the archer, now looking extremely nervous by the coffee pot, Tony glared expectantly.

Clint glaced from Tony to Steve. “Am I allowed to say now? Cause you said you would tear my arms off if I told anyone after I showed you that meme.” He asked, edging away from the conversation as much as possible.

At this, Natasha decided to show a great deal of interest in the conversation and followed Tony to box Clint in. “DUDE NOT COOL! CAN I TELL THEM OR NOT?!” Clint yelled, backing away from the evil genius and master assassin.

“There's at least one picture of it out there, I do not need more, especially not on the internet.” Steve said calming, ignoring the imminent torture behind him.

“But there is a picture.” Tony purred, his inner Siamese already plotting.

“Yeah, good luck with that.” Steve muttered. “Pretty sure Dum Dum used to light the campfire.”

-

Nearly a week into the search Tony was ready to give up. Looking through his dad’s stuff was never a happy experience but now that he’d actually met the man behind the shield looking at photos of the life he lost to war was just downright depressing. Sighing, the genius shoved his eyes into the palms of his hands and let himself partial shift. The tension fell away from his shoulders as his dark ears and tail flickered forth. Stretching his jaw he yawned into his fangs before straightening and looking over the mess again.

“Wow.” Steve voice echoed over the sounds of the lab door opening. “Kinda figured you'd get bored by now.”

“Bored, no. Sad, yes.” Tony said, flicking his tail at the mess.

Steve glanced up from the mess of photos. “Sad? The great Tony Stark, melancholy over some old war memorabilia?”

Tony’s frown deepened and he swatted around for the photo that had started his descent. “I've never seen you smile like that.” he muttered after finding and shoving it into the captain’s face.

Something softened in Steve’s eyes as he took the picture of he and Bucky laughing, arms around each others shoulders. 

Tony felt like the stupidest genius in the world, and closed his eyes to get away from that something. “Crap, Rogers.” he whispered. “Please tell me he knew.”

Steve chuckled softly. “I told him I loved him the day he shipped out. Called me an idiot for waiting for so long.”

“What have I done.” Tony muttered, opening his eyes to see Steve sinking down on the battered lab couch. 

“When I found him in Austria, shifted right there, couldn't help it. He ask me how on earth it was possible to get both bigger and cuter at the same time.” Steve shook his head, words failing him as the photo slipped from his fingers.

Tony threw himself across the room in a flash, tugging Steve into his arms and trying to purr away the choking sobs that began to wrack the soldier’s body. 

-

“Tony.” Steve said, eyeing the silent genius. He had been shifted for nearly a full three minutes and while the face journey had been entertaining it was now getting ridiculous. 

Tony’s eye twitched as he fought to keep himself from screaming.

“We are having a moment.”

Tony pressed his hands together and to his lip, inhaling slowly.

“Do. not. Ruin it.”

“I have new found respect for Clint Barton.” Tony wheezed. 

Steve twitched a silver ear covered in small black spots in annoyance. “Don't do it Tony.”

Tony examined his choices and the potential survivability of each before speaking. “Tail bite?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I literally have no reason to make Steve a Snow Leopard outside of really hoping someone will make art of him biting his tail. 
> 
> HOPE YOU ENJOYED MY WEIRD SHIT!
> 
> Chatting with the Void on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/KnockoutRambles)  
> 


	2. Chapter 2

“No I don't!” the soldier shouted lashing out again and again, trying to destroy the face that was causing him so much pain and confusion.

The target let out a shiver, ears flicking up. “I’m with you, till the end of the line.” He whispered through blood smeared lips and fangs.

The soldier stopped, horror dawning moments too late as the helicarrier fell apart around them. He dove after the falling target, panic filling his chest. Swimming around the falling debris the soldier managed to grab hold of the target, pulling him up to the surface. The target wasn't breathing by the time the soldier dragged him to shore. Pushing and pumping the soldier frantically tried to revive the target. Finally, finally, he couched, water clearing out of his lungs. 

Relief and exhaustion flooded through the soldier and he let himself fall forward, his metal hand braced beside the target’s head.

Eyes flickering open for a moment the target breathed the word again. “Bucky?”

Carefully controlled and buried emotions came crashing down on the soldier, filling him to the brim. He let out a whine as the change came over him involuntarily. Icy blue eyes changed to a soft gold as silver wolf ears and tail appeared. 

The target let out a soft sigh and slipped back into unconsciousness.

The soldier whined again, gently nuzzling at the target, falling into pure instinct now that his programming had failed. The snap of a nearby twig brought the soldier back up, snarling as he placed himself over the target. 

The birdman step out of the trees, followed by the widow. 

Digging his fingers into the mud the soldier snarled louder, lowering himself over the target to cover him completely. 

The widow had a gun on him immediately but the birdman quickly shoved it down. Holding up his hand, showing submission, he slowly stepped forward. 

The soldier snarled. 

“Easy, easy, we're his friends remember, we fought WITH Steve.” the birdman said.

The soldier remembered this. They had risked their own safety to keep the target alive. The target would not survive laying on this bank and soldier know only how to break, not to heal. Slowly the soldier stopped growling and allowed the birdman and widow to approach.

-

 

Bruce slammed the stethoscope down and rounded as a growl echoed through the sick bay for the sixth time. “If he snarls at me one more time I will not be held responsible for what the big guy does!”

Tony’s eyes got a little wide and he poked at the flesh of Bucky chest with his screwdriver. “Oi, knock it off white fang, you do NOT want to see Bruce pissed. Besides I'm the one fusting with your arm here, you should be bitching me out.” 

Bucky gave the genius a long scathing look, but thankfully fell silent.

“Hey! I could be evil!” Tony whined twitching his tail and flicking one of Bucky’s silver ears. 

Sam and Natasha had managed to get Steve to the hospital after the whole helicarrier clusterfuck, Bucky at their heels the entire time. Steve had only just been declared stable when a hydra agent tried to assassinate him in his hospital room. Fortunately Bucky had refused to leave Steve's side for an instant and had been more than happy to tear into the would be killer with his fangs and claws. 

At that point Tony arrive and insisted that Steve be transferred back to the avengers tower for proper protection.

Bucky had been surprisingly docile through the moved back to New York; until Bruce had tried to examine him, then everything went to hell. It was a miracle the Hulk hadn't come, out in retrospect. In the end, Tony and Clint had partially shifted and thrown themselves across the fully shifted wolf. Surprisingly, it worked and Bucky had calmed down enough to revert back to being half shifted and even allowed Tony and Clint to bandage his injuries with Bruce supervising. 

Whatever instinct that had told the wolf to trust the cat and hawk shifters continued on and had resulted in the current situation. Bucky’s chair was backed up to the sick bays counter where Clint was sitting. The Archer had draped his legs over Bucky's bare shoulders and chest and embedded his talons in the soldier's long brown locks. A holoscreen hovered in front of Clint displaying a complicated braiding tutorial he was determined to master. Tony, also shirtless, was trying to catalog the metal arm’s deficiencies. 

Being shifted for an entire week was taking its toll on the soldier, however, and his responses had degraded past words and were now extremely limited. Today it appeared that Bucky's only reactions were to occasionally whine and paw at the arch reactor in Tony's chest and to half rise with a growl whenever he thought Bruce was being too rough with his examination of Steve.

Tony waggled his eyebrows in time with his ears at this new and exciting reaction from silent soldier. “I could be installing rocket blasters or an MP3 player for all you know!” He murmured darkly.

Bucky gave him a long slow blink and then darted forward to lick a long stripe up the inventor’s neck. 

Tony gagged, falling back and and staring in horror at the cheeky smirk peeking around Bucky's fangs. Clint cackled and even Bruce cracked a smile while Tony continued to gasp and wave his arms.

“I like this guy.” Clint giggled, wrecking his talons through the part of the braid he'd messed up. 

Bucky reached out to tug on the end of one of Clint's half folded wings.

A soft moan brought the room to a stand still as Steve's eyes began to flicker open. 

Tony leapt across the room to help Bruce keep the super soldier from rising right up out of bed, injured as he was. 

“Worst patient ever.” Bruce grumbled as he struggled with an arm.

“Buck.” Pushed itself passed Steve's busted lips.

“Is right over there, which you would see if you weren't trying to tear out all my stitches!” Bruce griped.

Steve allowed himself to go limp as his half open eyes landed on Bucky. 

The wolf shifter’s ears were up and picked forward as he leaned towards Steve, claw digging into the chair. The soft whine and look of desperation in his friend's eyes broke Steve's heart. He reached out, palm up, as he was pushed back down onto the bed. Bucky was across the floor in a flash, nuzzling at the proffered hand.

“How long as he been shifted?” Steve asked, shocked at the animalistic reaction he had gotten.

“Too long.” Bruce grumbled.

Hooking his fingers gently under Bucky's chin, Steve made the wolf look at him. “Come.” He murmured, too tired to find more words.

Bucky frowned in confusion but complied, easing his way up onto Steve's bed. A few more commands and Bucky was straddling Steve with his chin still cupped in the super soldier's hand. Steve sighed and shifted slowly, trying hard not to gasped at the pain.

Bucky had tensed even more at Steve’s pain, pupils dilating and claws digging into the blankets. 

Then Steve began to purr. It was an impossibly deep noise that quickly filled the small room. 

With a soft grunt Bucky collapsed, his body slipping out beneath him and his chin falling onto Steve's chest. His eyes flickered and with a shiver Bucky came all the way out of his shift before promptly falling asleep on top of Steve.

Steve’s purr became slightly more smug as he carded his claws through Bucky's hair.

“How in the fuck? He hasn't slept since we've had him!” Tony hissed, shocked but finding it surprisingly hard to care with the thrum of Steve's purring vibrated in his bones.

Steve smiled, blinking away tears. “Was the only way to get him to sleep after being captured by hydra. Had the whole team trained to do down by the end. My Buck is still in there.”

Bruce sighed and waved everyone towards the door. “I think you'd be surprised how much of Barnes is in there.”

Steve stayed awake as long as he could after the others had left, just watching the man in his arms. The scars that now crisscrossed his body, the horrors he must have gone through, washed over Steve until he could keep his eyes open no longer. His purring finally falling silent, the soldiers out of time slept on wrapped around each other.

-

When the soldier woke the room was dark and empty. It had been silent but at his stirring the body beneath him began to vibrate again with that wondrous sound. What little tension that had gathered in the soldier vanished and he went limp again. Limp wasn't right, he would be punished for such a lack of readiness. Shaking his head, the soldier pushed himself up. 

“No!” A breathy voice gasped as the soldier moved. 

He stopped, instantly shifting as a torrent of emotions crashed through him at that one little word. Squeezing his eyes shut the soldier let out a whine. Shifting was bad, he would be punished for sure now.

“Bucky, please.” 

Bucky?

Memories of the past week and years before came flooding back to Bucky. 

Steve was reaching for him weakly, tears gathering in the corners of his eyes and silver spotted ears flat against his head. 

Surging forward, Bucky nuzzled against the lover he'd thought was gone for good.

Steve's breaths evened as he clutched at Bucky's skin, a soft tongue licking away his tears. He began to purr again, desperate to keep Bucky near him. 

The brunette sighed and settled more comfortable around Steve. “Forgot.” He muttered, as his fangs slid away.

Steve pressed his forehead against Bucky's and waited for him to finish his sentence. 

Bucky grinned at the touch. “How fucking amazing that feels.” 

“What else?” Steve whispered.

Bucky regarded Steve for a moment, growing serious before speaking. “Your mother's name was Sarah. You use get sick and wear newspapers in your shoes. The first time I kissed you was the night I shipped out. The first time you kissed me was when you pulled me off Zola’s table. You’re my punk, my fella, my Stevie.”

Voice cracking Steve responded in one word. “Stay?”

Bucky smiled. “Till the end of the line.”

 

-

 

Six months later the internet was broken by a single photograph posted to the avengers joint Instagram account. Like something out of a renaissance painting, it featured a softly lit room with an easel and canvas propped up in front of a couch. Bucky Barnes lay sprawled across the couch half shifted and half across the lap of Steve Rogers. Also half shifted, Steve was staring at the canvas, paint brush raised, with an intensity that was completely ruined by the large fluffy white and gray spotted tail firmly clamped between his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that was fun. Now back to making really long stuff.
> 
> Chatting with the Void on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/KnockoutRambles)  
> 


End file.
